Tom Kane, a voice actor best known for his work on Star Wars and Powerpuff Girls, has passed away from complications associated with a stroke. He was 64 years old.
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In a statement to TMZ, Kane’s rep, Zach McGinnis, confirmed the news. The rep explained that Kane died in a Kansas City hospital surrounded by family. The complications were from the stroke he had in 2020.
“Though his voice may now be silent, the characters, stories, and love he gave to the world will live on forever,” McGinnis explained. “But beyond the incredible career was an extraordinary man. Tom was a devoted husband and father who, alongside his wife, built a loving family of nine children — three biological and six welcomed through adoption and fostering.”
Born in 1962, Kane went into acting in the late 1970s. He voiced Master Yoda in Star Wars: The Clone Wars feature film and TV series. He narrated the series premiere of Star Wars: The Bad Batch in 2021.
Kane was also Professor Utonium and HIM in Cartoon Network’s The Powerpuff Girls. His final Instagram post featured the voice actresses Tara Strong, Cathy Cavadini, and E.G. Daily.
“reunited with my girls,” Kane captioned the post.
Strong commented, “We were SO happy…so emotional to be back with our professor. It’s been way too long beautiful friend 🩷🩵💚🤍 our hearts are filled with joy to be back together with you & to hear your beautiful voice slowly coming back brought tears to our eyes. You are an angel on earth, always have been.”
The voice actor played a significant role at the Disney Parks. He was an announcer for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, replacing Joe Hursh as the voice of the Walt Disney World Monorail System in 2012. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was one of several voices for health and safety announcements at Walt Disney World.
He was notably an announcer for the Academy Awards in 2006, 2008, 2011, and 2013.
Kane’s Daughter Previously Revealed the Stroke Left Him Unable to ‘Efficiently Communicate Verbally’
In late 2020, Kane’s daughter Sami opened up about how the stroke had left the voice actor unable to “efficiently communicate verbally.” She also said that he was unable to read or spell.
Sami then stated that the Kane family was warned by his neurologist that he “may not” do voice-overs again.
“My dad still remains in good spirits, and his extreme stubbornness has helped him already show improvements in speech,” Sami further wrote. “He is fully on board with me sharing this, and he will see anything you guys post.”
Sami later announced her father’s retirement in September 2021.